


baby it's cold outside

by deariemate



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christmas AU, F/M, Fluff, Holiday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 08:01:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5820577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deariemate/pseuds/deariemate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: "I know we hate each other but your flight's been cancelled and it's Christmas Eve-please come inside."</p>
            </blockquote>





	baby it's cold outside

“You’ve _got_ to be kidding me.”

Emma’s eyes scanned the large television screen above her head. Every last flight for the evening had the same flashing red announcement:

**_cancelled_ ** ****

It was because of the snow, she knew. But just once, she was hoping that something would go her way. This was Christmas Eve, for gods sake, and she just wanted to get home and see her family, who she rarely ever got to see because of how busy she was at work.

She pulled out her phone to call her mother, when a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

“You too, Swan?”

She let out a sigh of defeat, and turned to face him. 

“Yes, unfortunately.”

Killian Jones was probably the last person she wanted to see right now. He was her coworker, and constant pain in her ass. (Who knew lawyers could be so pretentious). For years she’d put up with his flirty comments and innuendos, just trying to scrape by until she could be promoted and have the authority to fire him.

She wouldn’t really do that, but sometimes she daydreamt about it on days when he especially got on her nerves. In reality, he was actually a really good employee, which is part of why she disliked him so much. He won more cases than the lot of them, and never failed to mention so at company gatherings.

Even still, she’d seen glimpses of him as something else. Like when he referred a single mother in a custody battle to her, as that was her area of expertise. Or when he set up her best friend Elsa on a date with one of his friends, and how they’d been together for over a year now. Or how sometimes she’d catch him smiling at her from across the office, something genuine and soft.

It didn’t happen often, but when it did, she vehemently tried to ignore the blush that spread across her face, returning back to her work and ignoring him for the remainder of the work day.

–

They made their way outside the terminal to the flurry of people waiting for taxis.

“Looks like we may need to carpool, love. Not enough taxis for everyone, I’m afraid.”

He hops in one, and leaves the door open for her, but she doesn’t get in right away.

He waves her over. “Come on, Swan. I don’t bite.”

“It’s okay, really,” she says. “I’ll just wait.”

“Emma, it’s freezing out here. Come on, my treat.”

“But I live on the opposite side of town from you.”

“Look, either you can sit out here and freeze your arse off alone or spend a mere 20 minutes with me. Which is worse?”

She eyes him down, but can’t help the small smile that creeps up on her lips. “Fine.”

She throws her suitcase into the trunk and then slides in next to him, trying to ignore his goofy grin.

–

They pull up to his apartment complex, which to her surprise, is a much older building than she would have guessed. She had him pegged for the modern, cold, sleek kind of apartment.

(Wait - that was _her_ ).

He hands the driver some cash and gets out of the taxi, grabbing his suitcase from the trunk and then coming back around to say something to her. He leans over the door frame before closing it.

“Listen, Emma, um-“

“Yeah?” her stomach had knotted up a bit at the sincerity in his voice, and she could feel her walls shooting up.

“I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe come in for a bit? I know it’s late and you apparently hate me very much, but it is Christmas Eve. I’d hate for you to just go back to your apartment all alone on a night like this.”

Emma twisted her thumbs together in her lap. “You don’t want _me_ to be alone, or you don’t want to be alone yourself?”

This brought a smile to his face, dimples and all. “Bit of both, I suppose.”

Emma considered his proposal for a moment. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. She could either stay and have a drink, or go home to an empty and cold apartment. If it was terrible, she could just call another taxi and leave.

Next thing she knew, she was holding her hand out as he helped her get out of the taxi.

* * *

 

–

His apartment was everything hers was not-small, cozy, and warm, with shelves of books lining the walls and nautical décor here and there. He even had a Christmas tree up-a small one, but one nonetheless.

“Wow,” Emma says, laying her coat across a chair, “some place you’ve got here.”

“Thanks,” he says from the back bedroom. “It’s not much, but it’s cheap and it gets the job done.”

He emerges from the room wearing jeans and a grey Henley, which really brought out the blue of his eyes.

“Are you hungry?” he asks.

“Starving.”

“How do you feel about Chinese?”

“My favorite-anything’s fine.”

Half an hour later, they’re sitting on the couch eating fried rice and sesame chicken, as the lights on the tree twinkle in contrast to the falling snow outside his window.

He’s in the kitchen after, cleaning dishes and putting them away.

“Where were you headed?” she asked as nonchalantly as possible, texting her mother in the meantime to tell her she wouldn’t be able to make it home.

“Regina was sending me to Chicago for a case.”

Emma looked up from her phone, too curious to resist. “Seriously? On Christmas Eve?”

Killian smirked. “Well, she wanted the best of the best, I’m afraid.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself, Jones.”

He made his way back over towards the couch, sitting down with an exhausted sigh. He reached up and scratched behind his ear. “Well that, and I seemed to be the only one in the office without any concrete holiday plans.”

“What, no family eagerly awaiting your appearance?”

“No family left to speak of.”

Emma’s heart dropped as he looked away from her awkwardly, clearly unsure if he should have just told her that.

Killian Jones, as it seemed, had walls too, just like her.

“Killian, I’m sorry.”

She may not like him all that much, (but who was she kidding, he was starting to grow on her), but she knew what it was like to feel like you were alone in the world, and that wasn’t something she wished on anyone. Not even him.

His eyes met hers with something alight, and he smiled.

“What?” Emma asked.

“Nothing, it’s just,” he started, “you never call me by my name. Only _Jones_ , or _idiot,_ or something like that.”

Emma chuckled. “Sorry. Old habits are hard to break.”

“Aye,” he smiled, the same smile he’d give her at the office, “I know what you mean.”

–

They decided to watch _It’s A Wonderful Life_ , Emma’s favorite Christmas movie.

Usually she’d be curled up on the couch with her mother, who always cried at the ending, but this time, she was next to Killian Jones.

And she had to admit, it wasn’t terrible.

He’d made spiked hot chocolate, adding cinnamon to hers by request. The movie was so long though, and Emma found herself drifting to sleep halfway through.

She awoke some time later as George Bailey was running through the streets of Bedford Falls shouting _“Merry Christmas!”_

Slowly, she opened her eyes and for a second, couldn’t remember where she was, but when she felt Killian stir beneath her, it became clear again. She’d fallen asleep on his shoulder, and somehow, his arm was draped over the blanket in her lap. Clearly he’d fallen asleep, too, because when he realized how close they were, he moved his arm and sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.

“Bloody hell, I’m sorry, Emma.”

“Hey, it’s okay-it was an accident.”

“This is truly not what I had in mind when I asked you to come inside, please know that.”

She sat up next to him, laying a hand on his arm. “I know, it’s okay.”

He looks over at her, eyes moving down from her eyes to her lips, and it’s then that she feels it.

That pull, the need to touch him that she’d honestly thought about so many times but never thought could happen.

He’s looking at her with such genuine warmth, and dare she say it, love, that she can’t help it when her lips close over her name in his mouth.

His hand curls up into her hair, pulling her closer. His tongue dances across her bottom lip, begging for entrance, and she lets him.

He tastes of chocolate and spices and rum and her head is fuzzy with it. He pulls away first, making sure that she is okay, that she isn’t regretting this.

“Emma, you’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“Is that why you were always smiling at me at work?”

He smiles again, rubbing a thumb across her cheek. “Aye.”

She stands up then and comes closer, sitting on his lap and wrapping an arm around his neck.

“Merry Christmas, Killian.”

“Merry Christmas, Emma.”

As she leans down to kiss him again, she can’t help but think that this _definitely_ beats crying over an old movie with her mother.

–

The next morning, she wakes up next to him in bed. He turns over and smiles at her, his hair a mess and his smile sweet and sleepy.

“G’ morning,” he says.

“Morning,” she smiles.

“Dare I say it, Swan, but I think that was the best bloody Christmas I’ve ever had.”

She can’t help the laugh that escapes her mouth. “Same here.”

“Shall I make us some breakfast?”

She nods, and he kisses her forehead before sliding out of bed and throwing on his pair of snowman pajama pants. (Idiot).

She showers and meets him in the kitchen, to a spread of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and fresh coffee.

“I could get used to this,” she says, swiping a piece of bacon from the tray.

He smiles as he pours her coffee. “So, this wasn’t just a one-time thing, then?”

She thinks about it seriously for a second, but against her better instincts, she finds herself saying,

“It doesn’t have to be.”

He smiles, and she thinks again that yes, she could definitely get used to this.

–

Later that morning, she checks her emails, one of which is from the airline company. Her flight was now back on, which meant that she could actually make it home in time to have some Christmas with her folks.

But the thought of leaving Killian there all alone, especially after last night, made her stomach drop. Then she had an idea.

“Hey, Killian?”

“Yes, Swan?”

“Have you ever been to Maine?”

His knowing smile was the only answer she needed.


End file.
